Hand Planes...

Over the years I have amassed quite a few hand planes in my shop. The hand planes range from early wood and transitional planes to specialty rabbeting planes, block planes, bench planes and jointer sized planes. For a time, I enjoyed restoring old wood and transitional hand planes and would often re-sole the transitionals with new hardwood soles. I replaced cracked handles with newly crafted ones. I soon found that these early versions of hand planes did not perform as well as modern hand planes even with considerable fettling and tuning. For a period of time, I was crafting my own wood bodied hand planes with modern thick blade assemblies and these performed considerably better as the mouths were tighter. 

On to the modern steel-bodied planes. I currently own an assortment of these hand planes primarily from two or three manufacturers and they tend to perform very well as long as the blades are kept sharp. Regular sharpening is key to the performance of a hand plane. Also, adjustments are much more precise on the newer hand planes with either Norris type or Bedrock type setups. 

With the considerable assortment of hand planes in my shop, I find I that I tend to reach for the same four planes, These are a No. 4.5, No. 7, Standard angle Block and Lo-angle Block. I very often grab the Standard angle block plane as a small smoother when working on small parts. It works well, is light and easy to maneuver. The bench smoother is a Bedrock type No. 4.5 and is my most frequently used hand plane. The longer No.7 is used to work long edges and flatten boards. The Lo-angle block plane is used primarily for planing across short edges and ends of boards. I reach for some of the other specialty planes when the need arises. The conclusion to all this is that more often than not I find myself reaching for these four hand planes. It is easier to keep these hand planes blades sharp and thus maintain fewer tools. This was not planned but a method of work developed over the years for reasons of efficiency, versatility and speed. 

All for now...

History of Furniture Design...

It is fascinating how furniture design has evolved over the centuries. If we return to the middle ages and the era before, quite a few developments in furniture construction techniques were in progress. Prior to this era, in the centuries before, very little furniture was available. It was considered a luxury to own furniture such as chairs, tables and cabinets. The larger, more finely made furniture of this era was typically destined for the aristocracy of the time as a display of their wealth and status. Most conventional furniture of these early periods was assembled without consideration to wood expansion and contraction or wood movement. This worked for many years, since the interior of buildings in this era was often at the same temperature as the exterior. With the advent of heated interiors, wood movement became much more of a factor to deal with in construction and design of furniture, and the practice of simply assembling wood planks together to form furniture needed to evolve. It was in the middle ages that frame and panel construction was adopted. This technique allowed a solid wood panel to literally float within a wood frame composed of rails and stiles. The solid wood panel could expand and contract on a seasonal basis, and not cause any structural failure within the furniture. All of a sudden many more possibilities were created for furniture design and its widespread appeal began in earnest. 

Furniture also began to become more affordable as of the 18th and 19th century, more furniture makers existed and sound construction techniques began to become standardized. There are numerous periods over the past centuries and each of these had a style or styles associated with them. Additionally, each country had a style of its own within these periods. One can see how similar furniture design principles were adopted by successive countries over the different periods. Popular furniture
styles which are widely recognized have familiar names such as English Chippendale, German Biedermeier, American Federal and Arts & Crafts, French Art Nouveau, Italian Rococo, etc.

To be continued...

Dynamic Design...

Over the past years, I have come to use a new term in my design philosophy. The term, "dynamic design", allows me to modify a design to adapt to circumstances, for either technical considerations, or for purely aesthetic reasons. This is a term I have coined to describe how design doesn't necessarily need to be cast in stone but instead can be modified as a project progresses. The changes I refer to can be either subtle changes or large scale changes. One of the meanings for the word "dynamic" from the American Heritage Dictionary.

dy·nam·ic - Characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress.

As my wood art or studio furniture is being handcrafted, sometimes the design I originally envisioned can be improved at different stages, or the original design can remain as is. Having this flexibility provides a continuous excitement for the wood artist or studio furniture maker along with the benefit of improvising on the original design after seeing the wood art at various intermediary stages. An excellent example is the hall table design in my previous posts. I had chosen to invert the base of the table for both aesthetic and technical reasons. Not to say the original design of the maquette would not have worked, inverting it just simplifies a design dilemma for me and introduces a new aesthetic to the piece. After creating the maquette, I realize I needed to have a fairly stable, strong sub-base to be able to support the V-shaped arch, whereas inverting the base utilizes the points of the arches as legs.

 

Often, we become fixated on a particular design and don't bother seeking out alternatives which often stare us right in the face. Case in point, I have been creating a new design for a smaller wood object, and as part of my philosophy I strive to use as many materials in my possession as possible, without continuously sourcing new material for the components. Working with material at hand sometimes limits what I can do, but on the other hand challenges me to work within certain constraints, in this case certain materials. So this would be an instance of what I like to call "dynamic design". Sometimes the beauty of a design is also in its simplicity. Simplicity is one of the tenets of the minimalism philosophy. I must admit that I am a fan of "minimalism", and have read at least one book on the subject. You tend to gain a different perspective on design after being exposed to the philosophy of minimalism.

Design (2)

In my previous post I discuss the concept of hatching a design and transferring it to paper. I now have a sketch on a pad and need to evolve this sketch into an object. At this stage I begin to refine the design, since it is but a sketch at this point. The sketch now evolves into a drawing with more defined, straight and equidistant lines. This process involves a few iterations and I build from my previous drawing with each of the iterations. This process results in a drawing which closely resembles the wood object I wish to create. Although the shape of the object has been essentially defined, an important component of the design is yet to come. Many of my designs have the type of wood and the grain graphics of the wood as the focal point. I usually begin with the design and then select woods with interesting graphics. Graphics is another word for grain pattern and the mix of heartwood and sapwood on a board, which can be either pronounced or subdued. I then spend time determining how to incorporate this interesting wood into the design.

On occasion, I instead create a design around a particularly interesting board or set of boards which have exciting, interesting graphics. Basing a design around a particular board or set of boards can be quite challenging, and I like to rise to challenges. I find challenging myself expands my skills and provides me a different outlook on the design process. Instead of a methodical approach, it is instead "material based" for lack of a better set of words.

These are my two approaches to design. The first one involves drawing and refining a design and then acquiring a selection of woods to make the piece. The second approach involves having wood with interesting graphics and basing a design around this wood. This approach is more of an artistic approach to my craft, whereas the first approach I would say is the craftsman method. They both have their place and serve a purpose. I typically use the artistic approach for speculative work and use the more structured craftsman method for commissions where a design needs to be defined. Once the design is fairly complete and drawings ready, the technical details are determined. These details involve the dimensions of the individual pieces of wood, the joinery involved, is there any alternative media in the piece?

I get excited about finding a board or boards with interesting graphics and color and then creating an object with this wood. This must be the artist in me...

Design...

When you are creating either a piece of furniture or a wood object and not following a pre-determined plan, a design will need to be established. I hardly ever work from plans. The design process typically begins with an idea hatched in my mind and is then transferred to a sketch pad. The idea might have originated from a shape I have seen, the need for a particular object or a furniture piece with certain design criteria, or simply an idea hatched on a whim. The basis of the design process is coming up with a good design. What is it about a design that make it a success? Is it the aesthetics of the piece, the pleasing proportions, the balance of form and function... or all these characteristics combined?

Taking a step back, the aesthetics and pleasing proportions are definitely at the forefront. I'm usually drawn to a piece of furniture or object that stands out with respect to the "look" of the piece. This one characteristic causes me to stop and further examine the piece by trying to understand what has drawn me to this particular design. This analysis aids my design process as I better understand what characteristics of an object or piece of furniture I am drawn to. We all have different styles of furniture that we are drawn to, but the common theme is good design. My favorite style of furniture is modern and contemporary. Typically even an admirer of period styles of furniture will stop at a well-designed modern piece of furniture to further analyze it. 

We've all heard the saying that everything has already been discovered or invented. I have even heard of this saying applied to furniture design. After all, we're re-shaping the same objects over and over... adding curves, changing proportions, adding ornamentation, removing the ornamentation, using darker or lighter woods, utilizing curves, replacing curves with straight lines, utilizing thicker or thinner components, etc. It is easy to come to this conclusion, however, I regularly see new pieces of furniture or decorative wood objects that make me sit back and say "wow, that is an interesting, unique design".. or "that is a cool design, I wonder if it's been done before". In light of this, the boundaries of design are limitless, one just needs to think outside the box. Also, I feel that often using pre-existing styles as templates for a new design sometimes handicaps the designer, where the designer subconsciously has the existing style in mind and cannot get past it. Sometimes it is better to begin with a clean slate, in my case, hatch an idea then transfer it to pad and pencil and begin to sketch it without being influenced by pre-existing designs.

Scale models (maquettes)

The aXial Lounge Chair began as a sketch , drawings and a series of maquettes or scale models of the design. I typically sketch a design , then draw it either in pencil or through CAD software. This provides me the feasibility of the design... is it appealing? is it structurally sound? is it innovative?  I work through the design process and flesh out the final design using an iterative process. The design needs to be elegant, aesthetically appealing and sometimes innovative. 

In this case I introduced innovation into the aXial Lounge Chair through the X-pattern frame. Developing the design is an enjoyable process as I make an effort to reduce the number of components or finesse them while maintaining strength in the design. Chairs have a unique process since they need to endure different stresses as well as being aesthetically pleasing. You can see the progression in the size and detail of the scale models in the attached image. The next step is a full size scale model and drawing of the main components of the design. Full size drawings enable me to accurately create the components through repeatability.

New Ebook...

Upon my return from IDS15 in Toronto I needed a day or two to catch up on the many emails I received during my time away. I also had other business to tend to during the first few days of my return. Then a much needed break for a few days to recharge myself. I typically do this after an intensive period. IDS15 preparations and doing the actual show demanded considerable energy, so I feel I was entitled to a break afterwards.

The interesting part about these breaks is that it foster new ideas in my mind. I had nothing on my plate so to speak and this causes the ideas to flow.  With a previous goal to publish an e-Book in mind, I decided to pursue this. Expanding on an earlier publication of mine; the result is my first e-Book with much more content and images. I am glad to share the topics and issues I have experienced in the startup of four woodworking related businesses. So the newly released Start Your Own Woodworking Business eBook is hot off the press and available through WoodSkills !

IDS15 Summary

After a hectic 5 days exhibiting at IDS15, I can say it was cool to be able to discuss my new chair design with so many people. The feedback and interest the lounge chair received was much higher than my expectations. The design is so new that I literally had no time before IDS15 to determine its wide acceptance. So IDS15 was it!

Everything went smoothly at the show. This is my second year exhibiting in the Studio North area of IDS15 so the anxiety level has diminished considerably. A considerable number of people sat on the chairs and their first words were usually ” it’s so comfortable”. Other comments include “the angles of the seat and back are great”, “the chair is not inclined too far back”, “seating is firm”, etc.

I had some very good news yesterday, so excited about where this will lead. Baron Magazine picked my aXial Lounge Chair as one of the Top 10 Product Designs at IDS15. Article with photos here:

http://baronmag.ca/2015/01/top-10-products-from-the-interior-design-show-2015-toronto/

IDS15 Studio North

Studio North..an area of IDS15 set aside for emerging Canadian designers. The exhibitors in this area are juried and I am excited to be a part of it. This is my second year in Studio North and I will be introducing the newly designed aXial lounge chair. Last year I introduced the Nuovo Console Tables. Have to say I truly enjoyed the experience and am looking forward to talk to fellow designers, the interior designer community and the public. The time flew at IDS14, I expect IDS15 to be a whirlwind time!  Some marketing items I brought with me this year.Booth SN35 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center Jan 22-25. Follow me at Twitter  @pirollodesign for show updates!

aXial Hi-back Lounge Chair

A glimpse of the new aXial Hi-back Lounge Chair I will be introducing at IDS15 in Toronto from Jan. 22-25. It is a contemporary styled hi-back lounge chair which features a unique X-pattern frame. The innovative X-pattern frame eliminates the need for rails and stretchers creating a modern aesthetic in a refined, sleek appearance. The Canadian designed + handcrafted aXial lounge chair will be available in a variety of woods including walnut, maple, birch, cherry and ash. Seat and back upholstery is available in selection of fabrics or top grain leather in a large selection of colors. Shown is a solid walnut chair with top grain white Italian leather seat and back.

Dimensions: 38 in. H x 27 in. D x 22 in. W

Lounge Chairs

I’ve been steadily working on the development of a new series of lounge chairs. These lounge chairs have unique design characteristics which have involved considerable design and development to get right. I am glad to say that the production version is currently having finish applied and I’m pleased with the design.

Design considerations such as rigidity, strength, ergonomic concerns, aesthetic criteria and contemporary design have all come together in this lounge chair. Early prototypes can be seen in this photo. The design has since evolved and become more refined. The series of prototypes were essentially mules to be able to test for optimum seating heights, depths, angle, etc.